Town Hall Seattle: Civics Series

Town Hall’s Civics series highlights everything from local policies to world politics. These events offer perspectives on a range of topics as diverse as Seattle itself—a bustling forum for activism, discovery, and thought-provoking discussion.

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Thomas Frank’s Listen Liberal: Or What Ever Happened to the
Party of the People, published in March of 2016, was named as
one of “6
Books to Help Understand Trump’s Win” by the New York
Times. Frank (bestselling author of What’s the Matter with
Kansas? and The Wrecking Crew) made a name for
himself for his scathing critiques of Republicans. Now he turns his
attention to his own party, arguing that liberals have lost sight
of their goal to be a party that champions equity. To support his
claim he points out that, after years of occupying the White House,
the Democrats have done little to advance traditional liberal
goals: expanding opportunity, fighting for social justice, and
ensuring that workers get a fair deal. Indeed, the decline of the
middle class has only accelerated. Wall Street gets its bailouts,
wages keep falling, and the free-trade deals keep coming. In this
low point for the Democratic party, Frank reminds them of their
historic stance and contends that renewing those commitments
is the only way to reverse the ever-deepening rift between the rich
and the poor in America.

Recorded live at Town Hall Seattle Tuesday, April 18, 2017

About the Podcast

The Civics series at Town Hall shines a light on the shifting issues, movements, and policies, that affect our world. These events pose questions and ideas, big and small, that have the power to inform and impact our lives. Whether it be constitutional research from a scholar, a new take on history, or the birth of a movement, it’s all about educating and empowering.